Sanity

When I am stressed and recognize that my mind needs a break, I turn to being creative.

Our little A-frame in the Green Mountains has a back porch that is in need of some attention. We have always dreamt of enlarging it slightly and creating a screened-in porch dining area. The bugs in Vermont can be a nuisance often when dining outdoors, and with a view of the lush back woods, this feels like a great solution along with an opportunity to liven up an otherwise forgotten space.

I’ve made a little mood board for each room in our home and over the weekend began scheming up how I would furnish the porch for the A-frame in Vermont. With a strong affection for The Adirondacks, naturally, I love rustic beauty. Mountain life where patina and texture run rampant. I see a rush rug, Décors Barbares textiles, stick rattan and wicker, and a few pieces that are perhaps Bavarian or Austrian in style. The space would be a place to truly relax (speaking of sanity!), enjoy candlelit dinners, play a mean game of backgammon, and take in the cool evening air.

Here’s to dreaming and scheming!

Finally

At last, it feels like we can almost taste summer. Warm morning walks last week confirmed this notion, and now, as I write from our little cabin in Vermont where the green mountains are in abundance, I am particularly joyful to usher in the new season. Things around here already feel different in the most marvelous way. Here’s to the best summer yet.

ABOVE: A snippet from my morning walk near our home in Rhode Island. I love the sight of beach roses with the backdrop of the ocean.

Ga-Ga for Gingham

I’ve always been a sucker for gingham, and having a baby boy sure doesn’t help that fixation. For me, the preppy pattern exudes a carefree, casual but timeless sentiment. Dare I say, it’s a little “campy” — something you might find on a table at a beach shack in Maine adorned with butter stains from a candlelit lobster bake or in the Adirondacks, for a porch dinner accompanied with sponge-ware and a vase of wildflowers. I have always adored the large-scale gingham Maison de Vacances napkins but find them difficult to source as of late. In part, that’s why I was so delighted to stumble upon these two-tone napkins from Courtney Barton’s shop.

Here’s to all things gingham and hoping that lobster dinner manifests itself this summer…

Motherhood

Becoming a Mother was always part of my path in life. Though, I suppose I never really imagined my life without having children. It’s true no one can adequately prepare you for what the experience will be like and every woman has her own unique journey. The photograph below was taken when Wilder was two months old. Though cliche, time is most certainly fleeting. The days feel long but short in the strangest way. There is euphoria and tenderness one moment and loneliness and isolation the next. Then, layer in a casual Pandemic, a full-time job, a home renovation and a move. It’s been quite the year but “These Are the Days” as Van Morrison sings and every now and then, I try to ground myself and find perspective. For me, it’s been an utter messy but marvelous whirlwind and sometimes, I feel like I’m still in survival mode. I have developed the deepest respect and admiration for all Mothers, especially mine. We are so lucky to have Wilder in our lives and I will forever cherish the moments with him, exhausted et al.

Photograph captured by: Lisette Rooney